What would you do if your street consisted only of spies, double agents, secret agents and other characters who walked straight out of a classic spy novel? Do you paranoidly close the door or play the game nicely? Agent Avenue is a two-player game full of bluff, trickery and deception.
Agent Avenue is the latest game from the relatively young publisher Nerdlab Games, which achieved tremendous success with the fantastic card game Mindbug. Mindbug is a delightfully simple and elegant card game in which players use a deck of cards to steal and defeat each other’s orphans. With Agent Avenue, the loons at Nerdlab have once again put down a simple game for two players. Simple rules, but exceptional depth.
Place the board in the center of the table and shuffle the cards. Players are now ready to stab each other in the back. Almost literally, because the goal of the game is to catch each other. A cat-and-mouse game fits the theme well.
Players take turns playing two cards each time, playing one card closed and one open. The other player then chooses which card they want and the other card goes back to its owner. Both cards are placed face up in front of the relevant player and the effect of this card is applied. There are three numbers on each card. Depending on how many cards of the same kind have been played, the player moves his pawn forward or back. Did you overtake the other player on Agent Avenue? Then you have won.
In addition to the cards that allow players to take steps (both forward and backward), some cards also contain an instant win or instant lose condition. For example, if you have the daredevil in front of you three times, then you have lost. Thus, players are attempting to trick each other into collecting cards and making sure they collect the right cards themselves. This mechanism is unpredictable in an interesting and entertaining way.
In expert mode, players add a market of action cards to the game. If you end up exactly on a black market space during a round, you can take a card from the market and jaw use its effects. This adds some extra depth and variety to the game.
Agent Avenue is simple, elegant and challenging. The game consists mainly of bluff, trickery and bedrof which is a delightful playful combination. In this cat-and-mouse game, you get to use all your trickery and blackmail to snatch victory!
